This year, the Pixel 11 is available in Frost, Pistachio, Hibiscus and Obsidian. My Pixel 11 was the Frost option, which is a sort of pale off-white with a slight undertone of purple or light blue, depending on the light. Pistachio is probably the most interesting color this year, although hibiscus seems to be the one people use the most when I see the new phone on the go.
The polished back panel of the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 doesn’t retain fingerprints despite being made of glass, which surprised me on such a glossy finish. It’s extremely thoughtful, though, to the point where taking photos of this phone for this review took a little more effort than usual. Whether or not this bothers you depends on whether you spend your evenings taking photos of your gadgets, which most people, reasonably, probably don’t do.
With the Pixel 11, Google reduced the thickness of the camera bar by about 40%, so the phone sits slightly flatter on a table. There’s still a slight rock if you press the top corner while it’s face up, and Google’s claim of a virtually shock-free phone is tied to using one of the tech giant’s official Made by Google cases, which I don’t have. Without it, there’s a noticeable difference in the camera bar, but it’s by no means a major overhaul.
At 6.9 ounces, the Pixel 11 is noticeably lighter than the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL, although it doesn’t feel cheaper. The aluminum frame and glass front and back panels still look premium, and after two weeks without a case on the phone, there are no scratches or marks on it. It’s water and dust resistant to IP68 and handled decent showers in London without issue. The 6.3-inch screen is one of the best features of this phone, as it’s a device you can use with one hand without adjusting your grip, which is increasingly rare in 2026.
Face Unlock is very fast, often beating my thumb against the fingerprint sensor. It doesn’t work in the dark, which is the kind of thing you forget about until you’re lying in bed and reaching for your phone. This isn’t a big deal, since the fingerprint sensor is still there to unlock the phone. And maybe I’d rather it not work than light up the whole screen like some other Android phones do. This is more of an inconvenience than a problem, but it’s worth knowing before relying on Face Unlock.
The speakers, however, are the only part of the hardware that I don’t think is worth the price of the Pixel 11. They are loud, and calls and music play clearly, but go past about two-thirds of the volume slider and the speakers become tinny. This is a complaint I’d usually make about a budget or mid-range phone, so I’m a little disappointed to notice it on the Pixel 11.
